Old Habits
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Frank falls back into old habits, and Julie pays the price.


**Disclaimer**: I don't own The OC and never will. No copyright infringement intended.

**Warnings: **Abuse.

**Author's Note**: Written for the hc_bingo prompt, _humiliation_.

* * *

Julie was worried about her boyfriend – It was near midnight and Frank hadn't come home from work. On this shift, he was usually home by eight. It wasn't like him to come home late, and on the rare occasions it happened, he always called. She was glad that Dylan was staying overnight at a friend's and wouldn't be home for the fight they were sure to have when Frank finally rolled in. Luckily, Julie didn't have to wait too much longer as the car pulled into the driveway about half an hour later.

The key missed the lock a few times before Frank finally got the door open, and Julie had a sinking feeling that he had fallen off the wagon. He had tried his hardest to stay sober, but he slipped sometimes. "What the fuck are you doing still up for?" he questioned when he saw her.

She sighed. "I was waiting for you. Where were you? I was worried, Frank."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't have to tell you where I am twenty-four hours a day. Shut up and go to bed."

"No, but you usually call me when you're going to be late. But I don't want to fight right now. We can talk about this in the morning when you're sober." She figured that was reasonable, but Julie wasn't counting on Frank's temper.

His hand shot out towards the wall, but he stopped himself in time. "I don't need this shit from you. I am my own man and I can do whatever the fuck I want. You can't tell me what to do."

She was definitely worried now, but tried to hide it. "It's okay, Frank. Please, let's just talk about this later."

Frank laughed. "I got fired today. Are you happy now? I can't pay for that freeloading brat or the house we live in now." That's why he had decided that a bar was his next step.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Frank. What happened?" He was usually one of the first fired because of his criminal past, but it had never gotten so bad that he had to sink to the bottom of a bottle because of it.

"It wasn't my fault, but I am apparently so much of a fuck up that I automatically get the blame. So why are you blaming me?" Frank was really pissed now. He couldn't believe Julie had the nerve to blame him for getting fired.

"I wasn't blaming you. Come on, Frank. Just sleep this off." She went to grab his arm to lead him to bed, accidentally setting off a chain of events that would change their lives forever. Of course it wasn't Julie's fault at all, but she hadn't experienced a Frank this drunk before. Every little perceived slight set him off instantly.

"Don't touch me, bitch!" He knocked her arm away and she cried out at the sudden pain.

"That hurt! Stop it, please! Just go to bed," Julie pleaded. She was terrified now and unsure of how to deal with this volatile situation.

"Fuck you and that little brat. Both so ungrateful."

"I'm not doing this right now." She was trying to figure out a way to calm him down, but her mind was racing so mind she couldn't think of one. She resisted the urge to run because she naïvely hoped that he wasn't going to get violent. Julie made a move to walk in the kitchen, but Frank grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go.

"You will do whatever I tell you to do." His breath stank horribly and she wrinkled up her nose at the brewery that emanated from her boyfriend.

That was the last straw for Frank. He let go of his hold on Julie's hand and slapped her across the face. She gasped and her hand flew up to her now stinging cheek. She was pissed and terrified at the same time. "Frank, please stop. Don't do this."

"I hate everything about you. You wanted me to change, but I'm the same person I always was. Always will be, too." She made a move to escape and call the police, but he stopped her by throwing a punch. Once she was down and crying on the floor, he kicked her in the ribs a few times and then left to go find a bar. The pain got too much to bear and Julie slipped into unconsciousness.

Around seven in the morning, Julie finally awoke with a groan. She tried to get up to find a phone and call someone, but found that it was hard to move when she was in so much pain. When she was trying to figure out her next move, the doorbell rang and a wide variety of emotions – Mostly happiness and humiliation – hit her. "Come in!"

She had forgotten that Sandy was going to stop by to borrow something before he went to work and sighed in relief when she saw him. He stared at her in shock for a few seconds before springing to action. "Julie, what's wrong? Who did this to you?"

She held back on the sobs that were threatening to bubble up. She did not want to stop crying. "Frank came home upset and drunk last night because he was fired."

"And he took it out on you. How hurt are you?" He checked her over to see how bad her injuries were.

Julie bit her lip to stove off the tears. "My ribs and my arm. My face, too."

Sandy didn't mention the black eye, but it was pretty bad. "I'm calling for an ambulance." He picked up his phone and went to dial 911 when the door opened and a now sober Frank strolled through. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Sandy and Julie.

"Oh God. Did I do that to you? I'm so sorry." He made a move to see her, but Sandy stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Don't come any closer. I'm warning you, Atwood! I'm calling the police now."

"Come on, Julie. It's never going to happen again. I was upset because I got fired. I don't want to get drunk again. I don't like the person I turn into when I'm like that." He hoped she was buying it. He did feel regret for hurting her, but he liked drinking.

"I warned you, Frank. The day we had our son, I warned you that if you ever hurt either of us, we were done and I was going to press charges. You hurt me and that's never going to happen again."

The police and an ambulance arrived in less than ten minutes. After Frank was arrested, Sandy got into the back of the ambulance with Julie as they rode to the ambulance. He called Kirsten as soon as they rolled into the emergency room and she was whisked off to be checked over. Then he called his office to cancel his classes for the day.

She showed up half an hour later. "Sophie's with the neighbors. What the hell happened, Sandy?" Kirsten had never liked the bastard and wasn't surprised that this had happened, but she was torn between fury at rank and worry for Julie.

"According to Julie, he got fired from his job, went to a bar, and took his anger out on her. She's pressing charges against him, so hopefully, he will pay for this." Like Kirsten, he had never trusted or liked Frank, but he had tolerated the man for Ryan's sake. He cringed at he suddenly realized his son wasn't going to take this news well. Hopefully, he, Kirsten, and Taylor would be able to calm him down before he did something he would regret.

"Well, that is good. Can we go in and see her?" She wanted to be there for her best friend and try to get her through this.

Just in time, a nurse came through the doors. "Mrs. Cooper-Nichol is asking for you, Mr. Cohen." Sandy and Kirsten followed her back into the room, where Julie was struggling to button her pants.

"What are you doing? You should be in bed here." Kirsten had a feeling about where this was going and she didn't like it.

"I'm getting out of here! I want to be at home where I'm not getting poked and prodded. And remind me to change the locks. Frank's stuff will be out as soon as possible, too. I don't care where it goes as long as it's gone." She stifled a cry of pain as she moved wrong and the pain in her ribs flared up.

"No, I don't think. Julie, you're hurt badly and you need to stay here in the hospital. Sandy can call a locksmith and get Frank's things out for you. I'm staying right by your side." She glared at Julie until she broke and reluctantly returned to her bed.

Sandy kissed his wife, gripped Julie's hand tight in a show of support, and then headed back to Julie's house to take care of things there. He was going to have to go to Ryan's soon to break the news, something he wasn't looking forward to.

Kirsten sat with Julie for about two hours before she finally brought up the elephant in the room. "Has Frank hurt you before?"

Julie shook her head. "He's never fallen off the wagon this badly before. I wasn't expecting it. I've never been so humiliated in my life before, Kiki. I knew his history, but I thought Frank had changed." She wasn't going to let him hurt her again or go after their son. He was her priority right now and he would be protected from that man. She wished she had listened to Ryan's warnings before, but she had foolishly hoped Frank had changed. Julie didn't want to think of these things now, but she definitely was going to win full custody of Dylan. She didn't want either of them in the same room again.

"It's okay to be sad about this. I know you love him. You can mourn the end of this relationship." Kirsten kissed the top of her head and squeezed her hand.

And that's when Julie finally fell apart. "I've never been this humiliated in my life. People are going to know what happened to me. And I hate that Ryan and Dylan are going to get hurt too because of this. I never wanted this."

"Julie, you don't have to feel humiliated. Abuse can happen to anybody and anyone. And you're preventing it by happening to anyone else in Frank's life by pressing charges." She hoped she wasn't lying.

Julie gave into the tears and broke apart in Kirsten's arms after the blonde brought her friend in for a hug. "You don't have to be humiliated, okay? Nothing about this is humiliating. Sandy and I are here for you and Dylan with anything you need, so you're not alone." Kirsten rocked her back and forth to calm her down.

The fallout for Frank's actions would ripple across the Cohens' and Julie's lives for a long time, but they'd be able to get through it. Julie and Dylan had plenty of support to get through this rough time in their life. And luckily, Frank did pay for his actions, especially once his illegal activities – such as stealing – came to light. Julie also made sure that she was never humiliated like that again.


End file.
